Sally

Posture is the Window to the Spine | Spinex Disc Clinic

Posture is the Window to the Spine

Why do we have bad posture? Well, there are a few reasons, one being a physical change caused by the environment we are predominantly in and the other is a psychological cause, which is an inward projection of how we feel about ourselves. Whether it be a temporary emotional state where our body is changing our posture to suit our mood. A closed ‘small’ posture when we are sad and vulnerable or a relaxed open posture when we are happy. Or a chronic state of mind where we think we are a lesser person than others, we’re not as strong, as good looking, as clever and over time our posture will change to this mindset, shoulders round forward and inwards, head drops in front of us, a slight rotation of our body so as not to stand straight on to the person in front of us. Well, the bottom line is a lack of awareness as we grow older in both cases unless there is a structural abnormality with the spine or other bony or soft tissue structure changes from birth, ultimately it’s our lack of awareness that leads our posture to eventually diminish over time.

In both these situations, a simple shift in awareness can get our posture back on track. Physically sitting up in our desk chair so we are not slouched over and lifting our laptop up or moving our monitor high so it is in line with our eyes is a good place to start. Sitting closer to the desk and bringing the keyboard to our body instead of reaching forward and making sure our feet are flat on the floor is also advised.

Regular breaks from certain positions, notice I didn’t say from sitting, this was as an example used above as it seems to be the most common static position but the truth is our bodies are designed for constant movement so any type of static position, standing, standing and leaning to one side, reaching over head, working on bent knees etc, can lead to all different problems as a result of the same reason, the constant static position.

If injuries or aches and pains have already occurred then get these addressed ideally from a manual therapist and then start being aware of why they occurred in the first place.

From a psychological point of view pay attention to how your mood or state of mind is affecting your posture and how it changes when your mood changes. Simply by being aware can allow you to alter your posture next time you notice it changing.